May North American Dairy E-newsletter

Our Commitment to Excellent Customer Service

Customer service at Novus® means much more than inputting delivery orders. Denise Melton, Senior Customer Service Manager, shared our wholistic approach to caring for a customer and explained how our customer service representatives ensure each customer receives timely and efficient service 24/7—no exceptions.

Our team manages over 400 customer bulk inventories, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays. Through unexpected challenges such as extreme weather or unscheduled truck maintenance, our customer service representatives manage the situation and work to provide a solution. We utilize extensive reporting and work side-by-side with dedicated on-site carrier personnel, systems engineer and a dedicated AIMS equipment and technical vendor to assist with on-time delivery dates and quantity efficiencies.

For specialty order fulfillment, customer service representatives enter over 3,000 transactions yearly, ranging from 1 bag to 20MT of our made-to-sell and made-to-order products sourced from 7 warehouses across North America. All orders are confirmed within 24 hours of order placement and tracked through delivery. To order, customers can simply email novus.orders@novusint.com.

Our customer service representatives respond to all customer inquiries and have direct access to experts within Novus® to guide customers to the right answer. In addition to order fulfillment, our team is also responsible for the administration of an online customer portal to access current ALIMET® and SANTOQUIN® inventory, daily and monthly customer-specific invoicing and a recycling program for empty totes and drum return. With a dedicated team and multi-faceted approach to customer service, Novus® continues its legacy of trust, excellence and superb service.

Maintaining a steady profit in the dairy industry can be difficult and many dairies instinctually move into a cash preservation mindset when faced with a challenging economy. Taking this mindset often means cutting costs and removing ingredients from a ration. It pays to remember that the ultimate goal should be to keep profits as high as possible—not to keep costs low. Cost control is important; however, it is often more profitable to focus on income rather than decreasing expenses.

A cow’s feed intake is directly related to its milk production. Certain on-farm stressors, like heat stress, transition stress and weaning stress, can cause decreases in feed intake and lead to lower milk component yield. By maintaining a high-performing ingredient like AGRADO® Plus 2.0 in a cow’s diet, a dairy farm can minimize financial loss. The best management decision for a dairy farm ultimately depends on a variety of factors; however, the potential nutritional benefits of adding AGRADO® Plus 2.0 to a cow’s feed to protect feed, optimize milk production and maximize profit outweigh the cost of the ingredient itself.

Novus® Dairy Strategic Panel Discusses Future of Industry

The Novus® Dairy Strategic Advisory Panel conducted their bi-annual meeting January 22–23, 2019, in Tempe, Arizona, to lend their technical and managerial expertise to Novus®. The panel will help sculpt the future direction and outline potential opportunities for growth in the field. The panel consists of 10 leading nutritionists and veterinarians located throughout the United States.

Getting to Know Denise Melton

What is your official title at Novus®?Senior Customer Service Manager

How long have you been with Novus®?25+ years

What is your background in the industry?Everything I’ve learned over the last 25 years.

Which Novus® product is your favorite?Bulk ALIMET®

What accomplishment or moment in your career are you most proud of?Participation and implementation of the Novus® order to cash system conversion (SAP).

What is the oddest or hardest question a customer or collaborator has ever asked you?Not a question, but I once called a mill to notify them of an upcoming delivery. I asked if Tom was available and the person who answered the phone responded, “Naw, he’s married.” Made me laugh the whole day.

How do you work with customers to address their needs and overcome challenges they face?Listen, confer with internal sources (e.g. logistics, sales, regulatory), offer solution(s) and always follow up.

In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing the animal agriculture industry today?Freight transportation and labor shortages.

When you are not ensuring that customers get the best possible service, what do you like to do?Boat on Kentucky Lake, walk and play with my grandchildren.

What is the best gift you have ever received?A new wedding ring for our 20th anniversary.

What is your favorite beef/dairy/pork/poultry product to eat?I LOVE all of them. My top pick would be a pork steak.